The present invention relates to a valve for the distribution of a liquid. The invention specifically relates, although not exclusively so, to the filling of perfusion pouches or bags.
There are known machines for the manufacture of pouches or bags from a flexible film made from plastic material. More specifically, there are known machines for the manufacture of pouches or bags from a thermoplastic film. These machines include a series of stations at which the film is treated in succession. Generally, the film is unwound from a winder, then it is perforated Perpendicular to the perforation, ports or fitments are heat sealed by a welding head, the film is then shaped in a shaping device designed to fold the film back on itself in order to create an edge to edge seal. The film that has been sealed edge to edge forms a tube that is then heat sealed in the transverse direction at regular intervals to form individual pouches or bags. These individual pouches or bags are filled prior to the creation of the second transverse heat seal that forms the pouch or bag.
The present invention more specifically relates to a distribution valve for the liquid that fills the pouch or bag. In this respect, it will be noted that the pouch generally is filled from a constant level tank, or by a feeding circuit under constant pressure. The filling of the pouch or bag itself is done over a constant period of time, independent of the quantity of liquid to be introduced into the pouch or bag. Under those conditions, the final quantity of liquid contained in the pouch or bag depends on the opening section of the distribution valve.
There are known devices that have members that none in steps to permit the filling of pouches that may contain different quantities of liquid. Such existing devices, however, do not permit an adjustment of all of the movable members in order to adapt the entire valve to a particular liquid, to example, a liquid having a given viscosity.